Dual voltage switched branch lna architecture

ABSTRACT

Methods and circuital arrangements for turning OFF branches of a multi-branch cascode amplifier are presented. First and second switching arrangements coupled to a branch allow turning OFF the branch while protecting transistors of the branch from a supply voltage that may be greater than a tolerable voltage of the transistors. The first switching arrangement includes a transistor-based switch that is in series connection with the transistors of the branch. The first switching arrangement drops the supply voltage during the OFF state of the branch and provides a conduction path for a current through the branch during the ON state of the branch. A resistor and a shunting switch are coupled to a gate of the transistor-based switch to reduce parasitic coupling effects of the transistor-based switch upon an RF signal coupled to the branch during the ON state and OFF state of the branch.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to amplifiers. In particular, the present application relates to turn OFF and protection of multi-branch amplifier architecture comprising multiple branches of stacked transistors configured to tolerate higher voltages than the reliability limit of the transistors of the branch when OFF, enabling performances while operating at higher voltages that are similar to performances achieved while operating in lower voltages.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, stacked cascode amplifiers, which use a plurality of transistors arranged as a stack (stacked transistors), have become predominant in radio frequency (RF) applications, such as, for example, power amplifiers (PAs) in transmitter sections of RF front-end modules, or as low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) in receiver sections of RF front-end modules. Due to the higher number of transistors in the stack, voltage handling capability of the amplifier is increased, thereby allowing the higher power, higher voltage outputs. Since the stacked transistors comprise individual low-voltage transistors, which can tolerate a voltage substantially lower than the output voltage of the amplifier, it is important to bias the low-voltage transistors of the stack such that they maintain operation within their tolerable voltage ranges (e.g., smaller than a maximum tolerable voltage). In cases where the amplifier can operate in different modes of operation, such as, for example, an active (amplification, ON, activated) mode and an inactive (no amplification, OFF, deactivated) mode, such voltage compliance of the low-voltage transistors of the stack must be maintained during each of the modes of operation.

FIG. 1 shows a prior art configuration of a stacked cascode amplifier (100) comprising an input transistor M1 for receiving an input RF signal, R_(IN), in series connection with a cascode output transistor M2 for outputting an amplified version, RF_(OUT), of the input RF signal. DC blocking capacitor C_(IN) is used to block DC biasing voltage provided to the input transistor M1 from the RF_(IN) signal, while capacitor C_(OUT) is used for both output matching and blocking supply voltage V_(DD) from the RF_(OUT) port. A supply voltage V_(DD) is coupled to the drain of the output transistor M2 through an inductor L_(D), and a reference ground V_(GND) (e.g., GND or AC ground) is coupled to the source of the input transistor M1 through an optional inductor L₁ (e.g., degeneration inductor). An optional resistor, R_(D), in parallel with the inductor L_(D) can be used to control the amount of amplification of the input RF signal, RF_(IN) and/or the Q and thus impact the bandwidth of the output match. It should be noted that a number p of the stacked transistors may be any integer number greater than or equal to two, and may be a function of a level of the supply voltage, tolerable voltage (e.g., handling voltage) ranges of the transistors (M1, M2, . . . , Mp), and the AC voltage swing at the drain terminal of transistor Mp.

In the prior art amplifier (100) of FIG. 1, biasing of the transistors M1 and M2 may be provided via respective biasing voltages V_(Bias1) and V_(Bias2) coupled to gates of the transistors via respective series resistors R_(B1) and R_(B2). A shunting gate capacitor, C_(B2), coupled to the gate of the cascode transistor M2 is configured to short the gate of M2 at frequencies of operation (e.g., frequencies of the RF signal) of the amplifier (100) in order to provide a common-gate configuration of the cascode transistor M2. In some cases, such as in power amplifiers, the capacitor (e.g., C_(B2)) on the gate of the common gate devices may be of a smaller capacitance value as to provide a capacitive impedance to the gate at the frequencies of operation. On the other hand, at the frequencies of operation of the amplifier (100), the source of input transistor M1 is coupled to the reference ground either directly (no optional inductor L1) or through the optional inductor L1, so as to provide a common-source configuration of the input transistor.

In general, the stacked cascode amplifiers described in the present disclosure include a common-source input transistor and one or more common-gate cascode transistors. It is noted that a person skilled in the art is well aware of the principle of operation of the stacked cascode amplifier (100), including biasing of the cascode transistors (e.g., M2 of FIG. 1) for active current amplification/buffering when driven by the input transistor operating as a common-source amplifier. Such biasing of the cascode transistors (e.g., M2 of FIG. 1) configures the cascode transistors to operate in their respective saturation regions of operation (i.e., different from triode region of operation) and therefore actively participate in the amplification of the input RF signal (e.g., R_(FIN) of FIG. 1).

The prior art amplifier (100) of FIG. 1 may operate according to at least two modes of operation, an active mode wherein both M1 and M2 are biased ON (i.e., turned ON) and the input RF signal is amplified by converting it to an RF current that flows through L_(D) and generates AC voltage swing at the drain terminal of transistor M2, and an inactive mode wherein both transistors are turned OFF, and therefore no amplification occurs. Control of the amplifier (100) for operation according to the active mode or the inactive mode may be provided via the biasing voltages, V_(Bias1) and V_(Bias2) For example, by setting V_(Bias1) and V_(Bias2) to voltage values such that the gate-to-source and the drain-to-source voltages of the input transistor M1 are, respectively, greater than a threshold voltage, Vth, and a saturation voltage, V_(Sat) of the input transistor M1, the input RF signal, RF_(IN), is converted to current by transistor M1 and conducted to Ld to generate voltage swing at the drain terminal of transistor M2. On the other hand, by setting V_(Bias1) and V_(Bias2) such that the gate-to-source voltage of the input transistor M1 are, respectively, smaller than a threshold voltage, Vth, of the input transistor M1, no current flows through the amplifier (100) and therefore no amplification is provided. A person skilled in the art is well aware of implementation designs of biasing circuits for generating the biasing voltages V_(Bias1) and V_(Bias2) for operation according to the two modes while considering, for example, amplifier (100) performance during the active mode, power consumption during the inactive mode, voltage compliance of the transistors during both the active mode and the inactive mode, and current-voltage characteristics of the transistors of the stack as provided, for example, by their respective I-V curves. For example, it is also possible to place the amplifier in the inactive mode by setting V_(Bias2) to a low voltage such as zero volts.

During the active mode of operation of the prior art amplifier (100) of FIG. 1, the drain of the output transistor M2 carries a voltage combination of a) a DC component that can be up to a level of the supply voltage V_(DD), and b) an AC component, V₀, whose peak voltage depends on the impedance of L_(D), C_(OUT), and the port impedance at RF_(out) at the frequency of operation. Accordingly, a drain-to-gate voltage, V_(DG_M2), of the common-gate cascode transistor M2 can be provided by the expression: V_(DG_M2)=(V_(DD)−V_(Bias2))+V₀. Because V_(Bias2) is typically close to V_(DD), there is no substantial DC component during the active mode of operation and therefore V_(DG_M2) is dominated by the AC component, V₀. On the other hand, during the inactive mode of operation, there is no AC component at the drain of the output transistor M2, and therefore the drain of the output transistor M2 only carries the DC component that can be up to the level of the supply voltage V_(DD). Accordingly, during the inactive mode of operation, the drain-to-gate voltage, V_(DG_M2), of the common-gate cascode transistor M2 can be provided by the expression: V_(DG_M2)=(V_(DD)−V_(Bias2)), which in the (extreme) case where V_(Bias2)=0 volts, becomes V_(DG_M2)=V_(DD). Since the (peak value of the) voltage V₀ is typically lower than the level of the supply voltage V_(DD), by selecting a type of the output transistor M2 to withstand the level of the supply voltage V_(DD) across its drain and gate terminals, safe operation of the output transistor M2 during both modes of operation can be obtained. In an exemplary case where the level of the supply voltage V_(DD) is about 1.2 volts, a thin-oxide transistor that can withstand voltage levels of up to 1.32 volts (e.g., maximum tolerable voltage) across any two terminals of the transistor can be used as the input transistor M1 and as the output cascode transistor M2 for improved performance (e.g., linearity, gain, noise figure) of the amplifier (100). A person skilled in the art is well aware of differences in performance provided by a thin-oxide transistor (e.g., gate oxide thickness of about 2.5 nm) as compared to a thick-oxide transistor (e.g., gate oxide thickness of about 7.5 nm) for a given fabrication process, including a better RF performance (e.g., linearity, gain, noise figure) for the thin-oxide transistor and a higher voltage tolerance for the thick-oxide transistor (e.g., about 3.4 volts).

In a multi-branch amplifier implementation where a plurality of branches similar to one shown in FIG. 1 are selectively and independently activated and/or deactivated, protection of transistors of a deactivated branch may cause performance degradation of the amplifier associated with usage of a thick-oxide transistor as a cascode transistor of the deactivated branch or usage of a supply voltage with a level that is limited to within the tolerable voltage range of a thin-oxide transistor of the deactivate branch. Teachings according to the present disclosure overcome such performance degradation.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-branch cascode amplifier is presented, the multi-branch cascode amplifier comprising: a plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, each branch comprising a common-source input transistor and one or more common-gate cascode transistors comprising an output transistor, a first branch of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches configured to operate according to an ON state for amplification of an input RF signal coupled to the input transistor of the first branch, and an OFF state for no amplification of the input RF signal; and a protection circuit coupled to the first branch, the protection circuit comprising: a first switching arrangement in series connection between a drain of the output transistor of the first branch and a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier; and a second switching arrangement coupled to the drain of the output transistor of the first branch, wherein: during the OFF state of the first branch and an ON state of one or more other branches of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, the first switching arrangement is configured to selectively decouple the drain of the output transistor of the first branch from the common output node, and the second switching arrangement is configured to selectively couple a reference voltage to the drain of the output transistor of the first branch to maintain operation of the input transistor and the one or more cascode transistors of the first branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-branch cascode amplifier is presented, the multi-branch cascode amplifier comprising: a plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, each branch comprising a plurality of transistors coupled between a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier and a reference ground, at least one branch of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches configured to operate according to an ON state for amplification of an input RF signal to the at least one branch, and an OFF state for no amplification of the input RF signal, a protection circuit coupled to the at least one branch, the protection circuit comprising: a first switching arrangement in series connection with the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch; and a second switching arrangement coupled to the at least one branch, wherein: during the OFF state of the at least one branch and an ON state of one or more other branches of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, the first switching arrangement is configured to decouple a low-side segment of the at least one branch from the common output node thereby providing a high-side segment of the at least one branch that is coupled to the common output node, wherein the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch are included in a combination of the low-side and the high-side segments of said branch, and the second switching arrangement is configured to selectively couple a low-side reference voltage to the low-side segment and a high-side reference voltage to the high-side segment to maintain operation of the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for turning OFF a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier is presented, the method comprising: i) turning ON a plurality of branches of the multi-branch cascode amplifier by: providing to each branch of the plurality of branches respective gate biasing voltages to transistors of the branch for operation of the branch as an amplifier during a respective ON state of the branch, the transistors of the branch comprising a common-source input transistor and one or more common-gate cascode transistors; and based on the providing, outputting an amplified signal at a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier; and ii) turning OFF at least one branch of the plurality of branches by: decoupling the at least one branch from the common output node via a first switching arrangement, thereby obtaining a decoupled branch, and coupling a reference voltage to a drain node of an output transistor of the decoupled branch via a second switching arrangement, thereby maintaining operation of the transistors of the decoupled branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method for turning OFF a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier, the method comprising: turning ON a plurality of branches of the multi-branch cascode amplifier, each branch comprising a plurality of transistors coupled between a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier and a reference ground; and turning OFF at least one branch of the plurality of branches by: decoupling a low-side segment of the at least one branch from the common output node via a first switching arrangement, based on the decoupling, obtaining a high-side segment of the at least one branch that is coupled to the common output node, wherein the transistors of said branch are shared between the low-side and the high-side segments, and selectively coupling a low-side reference voltage to the low-side segment and a high-side reference voltage to the high-side segment, thereby maintaining operation of the transistors of the at least one branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description of example embodiments, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a prior art configuration of a stacked transistor amplifier.

FIG. 2A shows a configuration of a multi-branch cascode amplifier including switching arrangements for protection of a branch.

FIG. 2B shows an implementation of the switching arrangements of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C shows another implementation of the switching arrangements of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A shows a configuration of a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a protection circuit.

FIG. 3B shows an equivalent representation of the configuration of FIG. 3A for a case of a turned ON branch.

FIG. 3C shows an equivalent representation of the configuration of FIG. 3A for a case of a turned OFF branch.

FIG. 4A shows another configuration of a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a protection circuit.

FIG. 4B shows yet another configuration of a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a protection circuit.

FIG. 5A shows a configuration of a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure based on the configuration of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5B shows a configuration of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprising a plurality of branches, each branch including a protection circuit.

FIG. 6A shows a transistor-based switching arrangement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that may be used in the protection circuit according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B shows a representation of the transistor-based switching arrangement of FIG. 6A for a case of a turned ON branch.

FIG. 6C shows a representation of the transistor-based switching arrangement of FIG. 6A for a case of a turned OFF branch.

FIG. 7A shows an exemplary embodiment of a transistor configuration used in the transistor-based switching arrangement of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7B shows another exemplary embodiment of a transistor configuration used in the transistor-based switching arrangement of FIG. 6A

FIG. 8A is a process chart showing various steps of a method according to the present disclosure for turning OFF a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier.

FIG. 8B is a process chart showing various steps of yet another method according to the present disclosure for turning OFF a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Throughout the present disclosure, embodiments and variations are described for the purpose of illustrating uses and implementations of inventive concepts of various embodiments. The illustrative description should be understood as presenting examples of the inventive concept, rather than as limiting the scope of the concept as disclosed herein.

The protection circuit according to the present teachings may be used to protect any branch of a multi-branch amplifier, including a branch consisting of a thin-oxide input transistor and one or more thin-oxide cascode transistors used for amplification of an RF signal through the branch. Accordingly, since no thick-oxide transistors are used for amplification through the branch, improved performance (e.g., linearity, gain, noise figure) of the branch, and therefore of the multi-branch amplifier, may be obtained when compared to a multi-branch amplifier using some of the protection circuits described above.

The protection circuit according to the present teachings may be used to protect any branch of a multi-branch amplifier that is powered by a supply voltage having a voltage level substantially higher than a tolerable voltage of constituent thin-oxide transistors. Accordingly, increased level of amplification, including a 1 dB compression point (P1 dB), may be provided by the multi-branch amplifier when compared to a multi-branch amplifier using some of the protection circuits described above. The protection circuit according to the present disclosure allows operation of the multi-branch amplifier from a supply voltage higher than the tolerable voltage of the constituent thin-oxide transistors to a supply voltage that is lower than the tolerable voltage with minimum effect on performance of the amplifier.

FIG. 2A shows a configuration of a branched (multi-branch) cascode amplifier (200A) comprising a plurality (e.g., two) of branches, (M11, M12) and (M21, M22), each branch comprising a stacked cascode amplifier similar to the amplifier (100) of FIG. 1. As can be seen in FIG. 2A, DC blocking capacitors C_(IN) couples the input RF signal, RF_(IN), to a respective input transistor M11 and M21 (e.g., through a switching arrangement 221) of each of the branches, (M11, M12) and (M21, M22), and a matching (and DC blocking) capacitor, C_(OUT), matches the impedance seen at the at a common (output) node, N_(CD), that is common to drain nodes of the cascode output transistors M12 and M22, to the impedance seen at the RF_(OUT) port, and couples the AC voltage swing, V₀, at the common node, N_(CD), to the output port. Switching arrangements (221, 222, 223) coupled to the branch (M21, M22) allow control of the branch for operation according to an active state (branch amplifies, branch is active, branch is activated, branch is ON, ON state) and an inactive state (branch does not amplify, branch is inactive, branch is deactivated, branch is OFF, OFF state) while protecting transistors M21 and M22 in the inactive state from voltage levels higher than tolerable voltage levels (e.g., higher than a maximum tolerable voltage) of the transistors (M21, M22) with reduced impact on the performance of other active branches (e.g., M11, M12). A person skilled in the art understands that by activating (turning ON, ON state, enabling) or deactivating (turning OFF, OFF state, disabling) one or more branches (e.g., branch M21, M22), more or less current can flow (from supply voltage V_(DD) to the reference ground V_(GND)) though the amplifier (200A), and therefore more or less gain can be provided by the amplifier (200A). Furthermore, as clearly understood by a person skilled in the art, current through each branch can be different and based on a size of transistors of the branch. Finally, a person skilled in the art would understand that an active mode of the amplifier (200A) can include at least one activated branch (ON state of the branch, e.g., branch M11, M12) and an inactive mode of the amplifier (200A) can include all branches being deactivated (e.g., all branches including a switching arrangement similar to one shown in FIG. 2A).

FIG. 2B shows an implementation of the switching arrangements (221, 222, 223) of FIG. 2A configured during the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22). For example, in the implementation according to FIG. 2B, each switching arrangement (221, 222) coupled to a respective gate of a transistor (M21, M22) includes a series switch that can couple/decouple a respective biasing voltage (V_(Bias1), V_(Bias2)) to the gate of the transistor (M21, M22), and a shunting switch that can couple/decouple the gate of the transistor (M21, M22) to the reference ground V_(GND) (or an AC ground). Furthermore, the switching arrangement (223) coupled to a common node N_(S2D1) of the source of transistor M22 and the drain of the transistor M21 includes a shunting switch that can couple/decouple the common node N_(S2D1) to the reference ground (or an AC ground).

As shown in FIG. 2B, during the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22), the switching arrangements (221, 222) decouple the biasing voltage (V_(Bias1), V_(Bias2)) from the gates of the transistors (M21, M22) and couple said gates to the reference ground, V_(GND). At the same time, the switching arrangement (223) couples the common node N_(S2D1), and therefore the drain of the transistor M21 and the source of the transistor M22, to the reference ground, V_(GND). Accordingly, the combination of the switches (221) and (223) turn OFF the transistor M21 while limiting voltage levels at respective gate and drain nodes of the transistor M21 to zero volts (e.g., V_(GND)). Likewise, the combination of the switches (222) and (223) turn OFF the transistor M22 while limiting voltage levels at respective gate and source nodes of the transistor M22 to zero volts. It should be noted that in the figures of the present disclosure, direction of a curved arrow on a throw of a switch is indicative of open/close state of the switch, whereas a double arrow on a throw is indicative of available selection for open/close state of the switch.

In contrast to the prior art (single branch) configuration of FIG. 1, in the (multi-branch) configuration shown in FIG. 2B, a drain node (i.e., N_(CD)) of an output cascode transistor (e.g., M22) of a deactivated (i.e., turned OFF, inactive) branch may still see an AC component corresponding to an amplified RF signal through an active branch. Accordingly, using the previously described expression of the drain-to-gate voltage to the turned OFF branch (M21, M22) shown in FIG. 2B, one gets: V_(DG_M22)=(V_(DD)−V_(G_M22))+V₀, and since V_(G_M22)=0 volts (e.g., gate of M22 coupled to the reference ground as shown in FIG. 2B) in the deactivated state of the branch (M21, M22), then V_(DG_M22)=V_(DD)+V₀, which may represent a voltage level higher than a (maximum) voltage tolerable by the transistor M22. Likewise, the drain-to-source voltage V_(DS_M22) in the deactivated state of the branch (M21, M22) may be also equal to V_(DD)+V₀. One solution for overcoming such problem of potentially subjecting the transistor M22 to higher voltage levels during the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22) may be to use a thick-oxide transistor with an inherently higher maximum tolerable voltage as the (cascode) transistor M22 (or any other output transistor, e.g., M12). However, as described above, such thick-oxide transistor may degrade performance of the amplifier (200A), especially at lower supply voltages, V_(DD). Another possible solution is shown in the configuration of FIG. 2C, wherein the output transistor M22, a thin-oxide transistor, is protected from the higher voltage levels during the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22) by setting the gate voltage of the output transistor M22 to a voltage higher than zero volts, thereby reducing the drain-to-gate and drain-to-source voltages of the output transistor M22 in the OFF state of the branch (e.g., M21, M22 of FIG. 2C).

As shown in the configuration of FIG. 2C, the switching arrangement (222) may include a (switchable) resistive ladder (R₁, R₂) that can be coupled to the gate of the transistor M22 during the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22) and decoupled from the gate of the transistor M22 during the ON state of the branch. Coupling and decoupling of the resistive ladder (R₁, R₂) may be provided via series switches that respectively couple and decouple each resistor (R₁, R₂) to a supply voltage (e.g., V_(DD)) and the reference ground (thereby allowing a current flow through the series-connected resistors). For example, during the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22) shown in FIG. 2C, the biasing voltage to the gate of the transistor M22 is provided by the resistive ladder (R1, R2). Such biasing voltage can be selected in view of the voltage at the node N_(CD) such as to protect the transistor M22 from a voltage level that is higher than its (maximum) tolerable voltage range. This may include dropping a voltage level up to the supply voltage level, V_(DD), across any two terminals (i.e., drain, gate, source) of the transistor M22. Accordingly, the configuration shown in FIG. 2C may allow usage of a (higher performance) thin-oxide transistor as the output cascode transistor M22 so long the supply voltage V_(DD) is not larger than the tolerable voltage of the (thin-oxide) transistor M22. Furthermore, while the input transistor (e.g., M21) of a turned OFF branch is turned OFF (e.g., gate is biased at zero volts as shown in FIG. 2C), since the gate of the output transistor M22 is still biased at a voltage higher than zero volts, the output transistor may leak current and consequently degrade the performance of the amplifier (e.g., 200A of FIG. 2A), including linearity, gain, and noise figure, as provided by other active branches.

FIG. 3A shows a configuration of a branch (M21, M22) of a multi-branch cascode amplifier (e.g., FIG. 5B later described) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including the protection circuit (322, 323 _(L)). As can be seen in FIG. 3A, the protection circuit (322, 323 _(L)) according to the present disclosure comprises a first switching arrangement (322) that is in series-connection with the transistors (e.g., M21, M22) of the branch, and a second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) coupled to a node that is common to a transistor (e.g., M22) of the branch and the first switching arrangement (322). In other words, the first switching arrangement (322) and the plurality of transistors (e.g., M21, M22) of the branch (M21, M22) are arranged in series connection, so that when a current flows through the branch, it flows through the first switching arrangement (322) and through the plurality of transistors (e.g., M21, M22).

With further reference to FIG. 3A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first switching arrangement (322) is configured to selectively open or close a conduction path for an amplification current through the branch. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first switching arrangement (322) may be coupled between the common (output) node, N_(CD), of the multi-branch amplifier, and the drain, N_(D2), of the output cascode transistor M22 of the branch (M21, M22). In other words, a first (high-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) is coupled to the common node, N_(CD), and a second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) is coupled to the drain, N_(D2). Accordingly, opening or closing of the conduction path for the amplification current through the branch may include controlling of the first switching arrangement (322) to respectively decouple or couple the first (high-side) terminal from/to the second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322). In other words, with reference to the configuration of FIG. 3A, opening or closing of the conduction path for the amplification current through the branch may include controlling of the first switching arrangement (322) to respectively decouple or couple the drain, N_(D2), of the output cascode transistor M22 from/to the common node, N_(CD).

With continued reference to FIG. 3A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) may selectively couple or decouple the drain node, N_(D2), of the output cascode transistor, M22, to a reference voltage, such as, the reference ground, V_(GND). In other words, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) may selectively limit a voltage level coupled to the transistors of the branch (M21, M22) during the OFF state of the branch, and therefore protect said transistors from a voltage level higher than their tolerable voltage ranges. It is noted that the reference voltage may be based on a voltage coupled to the transistors of the branch (e.g., M21, M22) when the first switching arrangement (322) decouples the transistors from the common node, N_(CD), and therefore from the supply voltage, V_(DD). For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 3A, such coupled voltage may be the reference voltage, V_(GND). As described later with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, location of the first switching arrangement (322) in the branch may yield in different segments of the branch coupled to different voltages (e.g., V_(DD) or V_(GND)) when the first switching arrangement (322) is open, and accordingly overvoltage protection for each of the branches may be based on a different reference voltage.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 3A, biasing voltages (e.g., V_(Bias1), V_(Bias2)) to gates of the transistors of the branch (M21, M22) may remain fixed during operation of the branch in either its ON state or OFF state. In other words, no switching of levels of the biasing voltages (e.g., V_(Bias1), V_(Bias2)) may be required. Fixing of the biasing voltages is made possible by the combined effect of the switching arrangements (322) and (323 _(L)) which are configured to deactivate amplification (i.e., current flow) through the branch while protecting constituent thin-oxide transistors (M21, M22).

FIG. 3B shows an equivalent representation of the configuration of FIG. 3A for a case of a turned ON branch (M21, M22). As can be seen in FIG. 3B, when the branch (M21, M22) is turned ON, the first switching arrangement (322) closes a conduction path for the amplification current I_(D2) through the branch (M21, M22), while the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) is open and therefore decouples the reference voltage (e.g., V_(GND)) from the node N_(D2). It is noted that in the closed configuration, the first switching arrangement (322) is configured to operate as a sufficiently low resistance (e.g., ON resistance, R_(ON), of a switch) conduction path, and therefore quasi transparent to the amplification process through the branch (M21, M22). In other words, in the closed configuration, a voltage drop across the two terminals (high-side, low-side) of the first switching arrangement (322) respectively coupled to the nodes N_(CD) and N_(D2) is very low and therefore an operating headroom of the transistors M21 and M22 is substantially maintained in spite of presence of the inline series-connected first switching arrangement (322).

On the other hand, as can be seen in FIG. 3B, when the first branch (M21, M22) is turned ON, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) is open and therefore decouples the reference voltage (e.g., V_(GND)) from the node N_(D2). It is noted that in the open configuration, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) is configured to operate as a sufficiently low value capacitance (e.g., OFF capacitance, C_(OFF), of a switch) such as to not affect a voltage at the node N_(D2) at frequencies of operation. Furthermore, it is noted that in the ON state of the branch (M21, M22) shown in FIG. 3B, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) must withstand a voltage drop that may be equal to a voltage at the node N_(D2). Since the voltage at the node N_(D2) may be substantially equal to the voltage at the node N_(CD), it follows that the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) must withstand a voltage drop that can be equal to or higher than the supply voltage V_(DD).

FIG. 3C shows an equivalent representation of the configuration of FIG. 3A for a case of a turned OFF branch (M21, M22). As can be seen in FIG. 3C, when the branch (M21, M22) is turned OFF, the first switching arrangement (322) opens the conduction path provided for the amplification current I_(D2) through the ON branch (M21, M22), while the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) is closed and therefore couples the reference voltage (e.g., V_(GND)) to the node N_(D2). It is noted that in the open configuration, the first switching arrangement (322) is configured to operate as a sufficiently low value capacitance (e.g., OFF capacitance, C_(OFF), of a switch) such as to not affect a voltage at the node N_(CD) at frequencies of operation. Furthermore, it is noted that in the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22) shown in FIG. 3C, the first switching arrangement (322) must withstand a voltage drop that may be equal to a voltage at the node N_(CD). It follows that the first switching arrangement (322) must withstand a voltage drop that can be equal to or higher than the supply voltage V_(DD).

On the other hand, as can be seen in FIG. 3C, when the first branch (M21, M22) is turned OFF, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) is closed and therefore couples the reference voltage (e.g., V_(GND)) to the node N_(D2). It is noted that in the open configuration, the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) is configured to operate as a sufficiently low resistance (e.g., ON resistance, R_(ON), of a switch) conduction path that couples the reference voltage (e.g., V_(GND)) to the node N_(D2).

A person skilled in the art would know of many implementation designs of a (single-pole single-throw) switch that may be used as the first or the second switching arrangements (322, 323 _(L)), including an electromechanical switch, a MEMS switch, a semiconductor switch, a transistor switch, or any other switch configuration known to a person skilled in the art that can provide a sufficiently low ON resistance, R_(ON), when the switch is closed, and a sufficiently low OFF capacitance, C_(OFF), when the switch is open. However, it should be noted that since the first switching arrangement (322) may be: 1) coupled to (or connected to) the node, N_(CD), which is a node common to all the branches of the multi-branch amplifier in the OFF state of the branch, and 2) part of a conduction path for the amplification current in the ON state of the branch, characteristics of the first switching arrangement (322), including RF and DC characteristics, may be more critical to ones of the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) with respect to the overall performance of the multi-branch amplifier. Accordingly, design requirements for the first switching arrangement (322) may be more stringent, such as provided by the various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to FIGS. 6A-6C and 7A-7B later described.

FIG. 4A shows another configuration of a branch (M21, M22) of a multi-branch cascode amplifier (e.g., FIG. 5B later described) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a protection circuit (322, 323 _(H), 323 _(L)). As can be seen in FIG. 4A, the protection circuit (322, 323 _(H), 323 _(L)) according to the present disclosure may comprise a first switching arrangement (322) that is in series-connection with the transistors (e.g., M21, M22) of the branch, and a second switching arrangement (323 _(H), 323 _(L)), comprising switching elements (323 _(H)) and (323 _(L)), coupled to respective nodes that are common to transistors (e.g., M21, M22) of the branch and the first switching arrangement (322). In particular, as can be seen in FIG. 4A, the first switching arrangement (322) is in series-connection with, and arranged between, the transistors M21 and M22. Accordingly, a first (high-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) is coupled to a source node, N_(S2), of the cascode transistor M22, and a second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) is coupled to a drain node, N_(D1), of the input transistor M21. Operation of the first switching arrangement (322) being substantially same as one described with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. It is noted that FIG. 4A shows configuration for the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22).

With continued reference to FIG. 4A, the switching elements (323 _(H)) and (323 _(L)) of the second switching arrangement (323 _(H), 323 _(L)) are configured to selectively couple or decouple respective reference voltages (e.g., V_(DD) and V_(GND)) to the nodes N_(S2) and N_(D1) in a manner similar to one described above for the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. It is noted that when the first switching arrangement (322) is open, the location of the first switching arrangement (322) in the branch (M21, M22) shown in FIG. 4A yields in a high-side segment of the branch (comprising M22) coupled to the supply voltage, V_(DD), and a low-side segment of the branch (comprising M21) coupled to the reference voltage, V_(GND), and therefore, overvoltage protection for each of the branches as provided by the second switching arrangement (323 _(H), 323 _(L)) may be based on a different reference voltage (e.g., V_(DD) for the high-side segment and V_(GND) for the low-side segment).

FIG. 4B shows another configuration of a branch (M21, M22) of a multi-branch cascode amplifier (e.g., FIG. 5B later described) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a protection circuit (322, 323 _(H)). As can be seen in FIG. 4B, the protection circuit according to the present disclosure comprises a first switching arrangement (322) that is in series-connection with the transistors (e.g., M21, M22) of the branch, and a second switching arrangement (323 _(H)) coupled to a node that is common to a transistor (e.g., M21) of the branch and the first switching arrangement (322). In particular, as can be seen in FIG. 4B, the first switching arrangement (322) is in series-connection with the transistors M21 and M22 and arranged between the input transistor M21 and the reference ground, V_(GND). Accordingly, a first (high-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) is coupled to a source node, N_(S1), of the input transistor M21, and a second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) is coupled to the reference ground, V_(GND) (e.g., via inductor L₁). Operation of the first switching arrangement (322) being substantially same as one described with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. It is noted that FIG. 4B shows configuration for the OFF state of the branch (M21, M22).

With continued reference to FIG. 4B, the switching arrangement (323 _(H)) is configured to selectively couple or decouple a reference voltage (e.g., V_(DD)) to the nodes N_(S1) in a manner similar to one described above for the second switching arrangement (323 _(L)) with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. It is noted that when the first switching arrangement (322) is open, the location of the first switching arrangement (322) in the branch (M21, M22) shown in FIG. 4B yields in a high-side segment of the branch (comprising M21 and M22) coupled to the supply voltage, V_(DD), and a low-side segment of the branch (comprising no transistors) coupled to the reference voltage, V_(GND), and therefore, overvoltage protection, only required for a segment including at least one transistor, may be provided to the high-side segment of the branch by the second switching arrangement (323 _(H)) based on a reference voltage that is substantially equal to the supply voltage, V_(DD).

Based on the above, a person skilled in the art will clearly understand that protection according to the present teachings may be provided by 1) a first switching arrangement (e.g., 322) that is in series-connection with the transistors (e.g., M21, M22) of the branch, the first switching arrangement (e.g., 322) arranged such as to define a first (high-side) segment of the branch coupled between a first (high-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement and the supply voltage V_(DD) (e.g., common node N_(CD)), and a second (low-side) segment of the branch coupled between a second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (e.g., 322) and the reference ground, V_(GND), and 2) a second switching arrangement (e.g. 323 _(H), 323 _(L)) that includes switching elements (e.g. 323 _(H), 323 _(L)) that selectively couple/decouple respective reference voltages (e.g., V_(DD), V_(GND)) to the first (high-side) and second (low-side) terminals of the first switching arrangement (e.g., 322) when the first (high-side) and second (low-side) segments include at least one transistor of the branch (e.g., M21, M22).

In other words, based on the inline position of the first switching arrangement (322) within the branch (M21, M22), the first switching arrangement (322) may define, 1) at a first (high-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322), a first (high-side) segment of the branch coupled to V_(DD) that includes no transistors (per FIG. 3A) or one or more transistors (per FIGS. 4A and 4B), and 2) at a second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322), a second (low-side) segment of the branch coupled to V_(GND) that includes no transistors (per FIG. 4B) or one or more transistors (per FIGS. 3A and 4A). Therefore, when the first (high-side) segment includes at least one transistor, the protection circuit includes a second (high-side) switching element (e.g., 323 _(H) of FIGS. 4A and 4B) that selectively couples/decouples a reference voltage that is substantially equal to the supply voltage, V_(DD), to the first (high-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322), and when the second (low-side) segment includes at least one transistor, the protection circuit includes a second (low-side) switching element (e.g., 323 _(L) of FIGS. 3A and 4A) that selectively couples/decouples a reference voltage that is substantially equal to the reference ground, V_(GND), to the second (low-side) terminal of the first switching arrangement (322).

FIG. 5A shows a configuration of a (protected) branch S_(2p) of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure based on the configuration of FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 5A, teachings according to the present disclosure extend to a branch S_(2p) comprising an input transistor M21 and one or more cascode transistors (M22, . . . , M2 p), where p can be any integer equal to or greater than one. Furthermore, it is noted that the position of the first switching arrangement (322) may be according to any one position shown in FIG. 3A, 4A or 4B described above.

FIG. 5B shows a configuration of a multi-branch cascode amplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprising a plurality N of branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)), N being an integer equal to or greater than two. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5B, each branch (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)) may be a protected branch according to FIG. 5A, comprising a same number p of transistors (i.e., one input transistor and (p−1) cascode transistors). Operation of the multi-branch cascode amplifier shown in FIG. 5B may be based on an inactive state wherein all of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)) are OFF, and on at least one active state wherein one or more of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)) are ON. It is noted that more than one active state may be provided by turning ON different combinations of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)) to obtain, for example, a different gain setting of the multi-branch cascode amplifier. Furthermore, it is noted that while all or some of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)) may include the protection circuit according to the present teachings, not all branches may necessarily include the same configuration, as any of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)) may be protected according to any of the configurations of FIG. 3A, 4A or 4B. Finally, as previously described, although according to some embodiments all branches may have a same number p of transistors, transistors of different branches may have different characteristics, such as, for example, different sizes or different types. According to other embodiments, different branches may have different number of transistors (e.g., p is different for at least two branches) and transistors of different branches may have different characteristics, such as, for example, different sizes, threshold voltages, or implant definitions. Finally, the multi-branch cascode amplifier shown in FIG. 5B may operate from different levels of the supply voltage, V_(DD), including a high level that is higher than a tolerable voltage of the thin-oxide transistors of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)), down to a low level that is lower than the tolerable voltage of the thin-oxide transistors of the branches (S_(1p), S_(2p), . . . , S_(Np)), while maintaining substantially same performance (e.g., linearity, gain, noise figure) of the amplifier. For example, considering thin-oxide transistors having a gate oxide thickness of about 2.5 nm and a maximum tolerable voltage of 1.32 volts, the high level of the supply voltage may be about 3.4 volts and the low level of the supply voltage may be about 1.2 volts. As described later with reference to FIG. 6A, the high level may be based on a tolerable/withstand voltage of the first switching arrangement (e.g., 322).

FIG. 6A shows a transistor-based switching arrangement (622) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that may be used as the first switching arrangement (322) of the protection circuit according to the present disclosure (e.g., FIGS. 3A, 4A, 4B). The transistor-based switching arrangement (622) provides increased RF and DC performance compared to known in the art transistor-based switches which can therefore improve overall performance (e.g., linearity, gain, noise figure) of a multi-branch cascode amplifier (e.g., FIG. 5B) when used in a protection circuit of a branch. Furthermore, ON and OFF control of the transistor-based switching arrangement (622) may be based on simple switching of a voltage level from a high state to a low state (and vice versa).

With continued reference to FIG. 6A, the transistor-based switching arrangement (622) is operable as a single-pole single-throw switch between terminals (nodes) N_(322H) and N_(322L). In the ON state, the transistor-based switching arrangement (622) provides a low resistance conduction path between the two terminals N_(322H) and N_(322L), and in the OFF state provides a high impedance (at a frequency of operation) between the two terminals. ON and OFF states of the transistor-based switching arrangement (622) may be based on a combination of a voltage level of a biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1), and an ON and OFF state of a single-pole single-throw shunting switch S₁.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the transistor-based switching arrangement (622) comprises a transistor T₁ whose drain, D₁, provides (is coupled/connected to) the terminal N_(322H) and source, S₁, provides the terminal N_(322L). Furthermore, the gate, G₁, of the transistor T₁ is coupled to the biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1), through a series-connected gate resistor, R_(G1). The shunting switch S₁, also coupled to the gate, G₁, of the transistor T₁, allows further control of a voltage at the gate G₁. For example, when the shunting switch S₁ is open, voltage at the gate G₁ is based on the voltage level of the biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1), and when the shunting switch S₁ is closed, voltage at the gate G₁ is zero volts (gate is grounded) irrespective of the voltage level of a biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the transistor T₁ shown in FIG. 6A is a thick-oxide transistor having a maximum tolerable voltage (e.g., about 3.4 volts) that is substantially greater than the maximum tolerable voltage (e.g., about 1.3 volts) of the thin-oxide transistors (e.g., M21, M22, . . . ) used in the protected branches according to the present disclosure (e.g., FIGS. 3A, 4A, 4B). Size of the transistor T₁ may be in view of a tradeoff between a desired ON resistance (R_(ON)) and OFF capacitance (C_(OFF)) of the transistor T₁. As shown in FIG. 6A, the transistor T₁ includes internal parasitic capacitances, including a gate-to-drain capacitance (C_(GD)) and a gate-to-source capacitance (C_(GS)).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the transistor T₁ is biased for operation according to a switch, including an ON state wherein the drain, D₁, and source, S₁, are coupled through the ON resistance of the transistor T₁, and an OFF state wherein the drain, D₁, and source, S₁, are coupled through the OFF capacitance of the transistor T₁.

As shown in FIG. 6B, biasing for the ON state of the transistor T₁ may be provided by setting a voltage level of the biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1), sufficiently high to turn ON conduction of the transistor T₁ (represented in FIG. 6B by R_(ON)) while setting the shunting switch S₁ to the open position. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, conduction of the transistor T₁ in the ON state may be in view of operating the transistor T₁ in its triode region, and therefore without any active participation in generation (e.g., buffering, amplifying) of a current flowing through a conduction path between the drain, D₁, and the source, S₁, of the transistor T₁. It is noted that such operation of the transistor T1 in its triode region is in stark contrast to operation of the thin-oxide transistors of the protected branches described above (e.g., with reference to FIGS. 3A, 4A and 4B) which are biased to operate in their respective saturation regions of operation (and therefore actively participate in generation of a current flowing through the transistors). Furthermore, in order to push operation of the transistor T₁ further into the triode region of operation, and therefore obtain a lower value possible of R_(ON), the voltage level of the biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1) may be set to as high as tolerable by the transistor T₁, such as for example, substantially equal to the tolerable/withstand voltage of the (thick-oxide) transistor T₁. Furthermore, it is noted that the shunting switch S₁ may also be a (thick-oxide) transistor-based switch selected to have a size small enough (and therefore small enough C_(OFF)) not to load the RF signal during the ON state of the transistor T₁.

With continued reference to FIG. 6B, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a size of the resistor R_(G1) may be configured to render the gate node, G₁, a high impedance node when combined with the parasitic capacitances C_(GD) and C_(GS) of the transistor T₁, at a frequency of operation of the branch. Accordingly, a (capacitive) loading on an RF signal through the transistor T₁ when conducting (i.e., ON state) may be reduced (e.g., V_(GS) RF voltage drop of T₁ is reduced). This in turn allows improved linearity of the transistor T₁ when conducting through its R_(ON) equivalent resistance by removing effect of the parasitic capacitances of the transistor T₁. Similarly, the resistor R_(G1) eliminates the capacitive loading of C_(GD) and C_(GS) parasitic capacitors on the nodes N_(322H) and N_(322L) respectively. Thus, a multi-branch amplifier such as shown in FIG. 5B using the switch embodied by the transistor-based switching arrangement (622) maintains the same gain response bandwidth relative to that of the configuration shown in FIG. 2A.

As shown in FIG. 6C, biasing for the OFF state of the transistor T₁ may be provided by setting the shunting switch S₁ to the closed position thereby grounding the gate G₁ of the transistor T₁ and turning OFF conduction of the transistor T₁ (represented in FIG. 6C by C_(OFF)). Because the gate G₁ of the transistor T₁ is shorted to ground (e.g., V_(GND)) when the transistor T₁ is turned OFF, and thereby set to a fixed/constant value irrespective of a voltage of an RF signal coupled to the drain, D₁, of the transistor T₁ (e.g., high-side terminal of the first switching arrangement (322) of FIG. 3A, 4A or 4B may be coupled to an RF signal from other active branches), then the conduction channel of T₁ is guaranteed to remain strongly cutoff and a loading effect of the transistor T₁ upon the RF signal may be reduced.

With continued reference to FIG. 6C, because the voltage level of the biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1), has no effect upon state of the transistor T1 in this OFF state due to S1 being coupled to V_(GND), such voltage level may be maintained to the same level required by the turn ON state of the transistor T1, or may be switched to a lower level, such as for example, zero volts (e.g., V_(GND)). It is noted if such voltage level is maintained, then power may be wasted through the drop of the voltage level across the resistor R_(G1).

Based on the above, a size (resistance) of the resistor R_(G1) may be selected in view of a frequency of operation of the branch, a size of the parasitic capacitances of the transistor T₁, and optionally an allowed power dissipation through the resistor R_(G1) in view of a voltage level of the biasing voltage, V_(BiasT1), during the OFF state of the transistor T₁.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure of transistors that may be used as the transistor T1 described above with reference to FIGS. 6A-6C for further improvement in linearity of the transistor-based switching arrangement. As can be seen in FIGS. 7A and 7B, improvement in linearity is based on providing a conduction path to body charges accumulated in the transistor T1 used in the configurations of FIGS. 6A-6C. These include a conduction path provided by a diode, D_(H), connected between the body and the gate, G₁, of the transistor T₁ per FIG. 7A, a conduction path provided by a short connected between the body and the source, S₁, of the transistor T₁ per FIG. 7B, or a resistive path from the body to an separate voltage reference point.

FIG. 8A is a process chart (800 a) showing various steps of a method for turning OFF a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier. As can be seen in FIG. 8A, such steps comprise: turning ON a plurality of branches of the multi-branch cascode amplifier by: providing to each branch of the plurality of branches respective gate biasing voltages to transistors of the branch for operation of the branch as an amplifier during a respective ON state of the branch, the transistors of the branch comprising a common-source input transistor and one or more common-gate cascode transistors; and based on the providing, outputting an amplified signal at a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier, per step (810 a); and turning OFF at least one branch of the plurality of branches by: decoupling the at least one branch from the common output node via a first switching arrangement, thereby obtaining a decoupled branch, and coupling a reference voltage to a drain node of an output transistor of the decoupled branch via a second switching arrangement, thereby maintaining operation of the transistors of the decoupled branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages, per step (820 a).

FIG. 8B is a process chart (800 b) showing various steps of a method for turning OFF a branch of a multi-branch cascode amplifier. As can be seen in FIG. 8A, such steps comprise: turning ON a plurality of branches of the multi-branch cascode amplifier, each branch comprising a plurality of transistors coupled between a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier and a reference ground, per step (810 a); and turning OFF at least one branch of the plurality of branches by: decoupling a low-side segment of the at least one branch from the common output node via a first switching arrangement, based on the decoupling, obtaining a high-side segment of the at least one branch that is coupled to the common output node, wherein the transistors of said branch are shared between the low-side and the high-side segments, and selectively coupling a low-side reference voltage to the low-side segment and a high-side reference voltage to the high-side segment, thereby maintaining operation of the transistors of the at least one branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages, per step (820 a).

It should be noted that the various embodiments of the multi-branch amplifier circuits according to the present disclosure may be implemented as a monolithically integrated circuit (IC) according to any fabrication technology and process known to a person skilled in the art.

The term “MOSFET”, as used in this disclosure, includes any field effect transistor (FET) having an insulated gate whose voltage determines the conductivity of the transistor, and encompasses insulated gates having a metal or metal-like, insulator, and/or semiconductor structure. The terms “metal” or “metal-like” include at least one electrically conductive material (such as aluminum, copper, or other metal, or highly doped polysilicon, graphene, or other electrical conductor), “insulator” includes at least one insulating material (such as silicon oxide or other dielectric material), and “semiconductor” includes at least one semiconductor material.

As used in this disclosure, the term “radio frequency” (RF) refers to a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to about 300 GHz. This term also includes the frequencies used in wireless communication systems. An RF frequency may be the frequency of an electromagnetic wave or of an alternating voltage or current in a circuit.

Various embodiments of the invention can be implemented to meet a wide variety of specifications. Unless otherwise noted above, selection of suitable component values is a matter of design choice. Various embodiments of the invention may be implemented in any suitable integrated circuit (IC) technology (including but not limited to MOSFET structures), or in hybrid or discrete circuit forms. Integrated circuit embodiments may be fabricated using any suitable substrates and processes, including but not limited to standard bulk silicon, high-resistivity bulk CMOS, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), and silicon-on-sapphire (SOS). Unless otherwise noted above, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in other transistor technologies such as bipolar, BiCMOS, LDMOS, BCD, GaAs HBT, GaN HEMT, GaAs pHEMT, and MESFET technologies. However, embodiments of the invention are particularly useful when fabricated using an SOI or SOS based process, or when fabricated with processes having similar characteristics. Fabrication in CMOS using SOI or SOS processes enables circuits with low power consumption, the ability to withstand high power signals during operation due to FET stacking, good linearity, and high frequency operation (i.e., radio frequencies up to and exceeding 300 GHz). Monolithic IC implementation is particularly useful since parasitic capacitances generally can be kept low (or at a minimum, kept uniform across all units, permitting them to be compensated) by careful design.

Voltage levels may be adjusted, and/or voltage and/or logic signal polarities reversed, depending on a particular specification and/or implementing technology (e.g., NMOS, PMOS, or CMOS, and enhancement mode or depletion mode transistor devices). Component voltage, current, and power handling capabilities may be adapted as needed, for example, by adjusting device sizes, serially “stacking” components (particularly FETs) to withstand greater voltages, and/or using multiple components in parallel to handle greater currents. Additional circuit components may be added to enhance the capabilities of the disclosed circuits and/or to provide additional functionality without significantly altering the functionality of the disclosed circuits.

Circuits and devices in accordance with the present invention may be used alone or in combination with other components, circuits, and devices. Embodiments of the present invention may be fabricated as integrated circuits (ICs), which may be encased in IC packages and/or in modules for ease of handling, manufacture, and/or improved performance. In particular, IC embodiments of this invention are often used in modules in which one or more of such ICs are combined with other circuit blocks (e.g., filters, amplifiers, passive components, and possibly additional ICs) into one package. The ICs and/or modules are then typically combined with other components, often on a printed circuit board, to form part of an end product such as a cellular telephone, laptop computer, or electronic tablet, or to form a higher-level module which may be used in a wide variety of products, such as vehicles, test equipment, medical devices, etc. Through various configurations of modules and assemblies, such ICs typically enable a mode of communication, often wireless communication.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. It is to be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, some of the steps described above may be order independent, and thus can be performed in an order different from that described. Further, some of the steps described above may be optional. Various activities described with respect to the methods identified above can be executed in repetitive, serial, and/or parallel fashion.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the following claims, and that other embodiments are within the scope of the claims. In particular, the scope of the invention includes any and all feasible combinations of one or more of the processes, machines, manufactures, or compositions of matter set forth in the claims below. (Note that the parenthetical labels for claim elements are for ease of referring to such elements, and do not in themselves indicate a particular required ordering or enumeration of elements; further, such labels may be reused in dependent claims as references to additional elements without being regarded as starting a conflicting labeling sequence). 

1. A multi-branch cascode amplifier comprising: a plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, each branch comprising a common-source input transistor and one or more common-gate cascode transistors comprising an output transistor, a first branch of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches configured to operate according to an ON state for amplification of an input RF signal coupled to the input transistor of the first branch, and an OFF state for no amplification of the input RF signal; and a protection circuit coupled to the first branch, the protection circuit comprising: a first switching arrangement in series connection between a drain of the output transistor of the first branch and a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier; and a second switching arrangement coupled to the drain of the output transistor of the first branch, wherein: during the OFF state of the first branch and an ON state of one or more other branches of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, the first switching arrangement is configured to selectively decouple the drain of the output transistor of the first branch from the common output node, and the second switching arrangement is configured to selectively couple a reference voltage to the drain of the output transistor of the first branch to maintain operation of the input transistor and the one or more cascode transistors of the first branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages.
 2. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: the input transistor and the one or more cascode transistors of the first branch are thin-oxide transistors, and each of the respective maximum tolerable voltages is smaller than a supply voltage to the multi-branch cascode amplifier that is coupled to the common output node.
 3. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: the input transistor or at least one of the one or more cascode transistors of the first branch is a thin-oxide transistor, and the maximum tolerable voltage of the thin-oxide transistor is smaller than a supply voltage to the multi-branch cascode amplifier that is coupled to the common output node.
 4. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: a source of the input transistor of the first branch is coupled to a reference ground, and the reference voltage is the reference ground.
 5. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: the source of the input transistor of the first branch is coupled to a reference ground through an inductor.
 6. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: the first switching arrangement comprises one of: a) an electromechanical switch, or b) a MEMS switch.
 7. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 2, wherein: the first switching arrangement comprises a thick-oxide transistor having a maximum tolerable voltage that is greater than a supply voltage to the multi-branch cascode amplifier that is coupled to the common output node.
 8. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 7, wherein: a drain of the thick-oxide transistor is coupled to the common output node, a source of the thick-oxide transistor is coupled to the drain of the output transistor of the first branch, and a gate of the thick-oxide transistor is coupled to a biasing voltage through a gate resistor.
 9. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 8, wherein: the first switching arrangement further comprises a shunting switch coupled to the gate of the thick-oxide transistor.
 10. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 9, wherein during the ON state of the first branch: the shunting switch is open, and the biasing voltage coupled to the gate of the thick-oxide transistor is configured to operate the thick-oxide transistor in its triode region of operation.
 11. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 10, wherein during the OFF state of the first branch: the shunting switch is closed so to ground the gate of the thick-oxide transistor.
 12. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 11, wherein during the OFF state of the first branch: a level of the biasing voltage is reduced.
 13. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 9, wherein: the shunting switch comprises a thick-oxide transistor having a maximum tolerable voltage that is greater than the supply voltage.
 14. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 7, wherein: the thick-oxide transistor comprises a diode connected between a body and a gate of the thick-oxide transistor.
 15. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 7, wherein: the thick-oxide transistor comprises a short connected between a body and a source of the thick-oxide transistor.
 16. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: a biasing voltage to a gate of the output transistor of the first branch during the ON state and the OFF state of the first branch is a same biasing voltage.
 17. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 2, wherein: the supply voltage is about 3.4 Volts, each branch consists of the common-source input transistor and the common-gate cascode output transistor, and the common-source input transistor and the common-gate cascode output transistor of each branch is a thin-oxide transistor with a maximum tolerable voltage of about 1.3 Volts.
 18. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 7, wherein: said thin-oxide transistors and thick-oxide transistor are fabricated using one of: a) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, b) silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology, or c) bulk silicon (Si) technology.
 19. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1, wherein: the multi-branch cascode amplifier is monolithically integrated.
 20. An electronic module comprising the multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim
 1. 21. A radio frequency (RF) front-end module, comprising: a receiver section for amplifying an RF signal according to different modes of operation, the receiver section comprising the multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 1 operating as a low-noise amplifier (LNA).
 22. A multi-branch cascode amplifier comprising: a plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, each branch comprising a plurality of transistors coupled between a common output node of the multi-branch cascode amplifier and a reference ground, at least one branch of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches configured to operate according to an ON state for amplification of an input RF signal to the at least one branch, and an OFF state for no amplification of the input RF signal, a protection circuit coupled to the at least one branch, the protection circuit comprising: a first switching arrangement in series connection with the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch; and a second switching arrangement coupled to the at least one branch, wherein: during the OFF state of the at least one branch and an ON state of one or more other branches of the plurality of stacked cascode amplifier branches, the first switching arrangement is configured to decouple a low-side segment of the at least one branch from the common output node thereby providing a high-side segment of the at least one branch that is coupled to the common output node, wherein the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch are included in a combination of the low-side and the high-side segments of said branch, and the second switching arrangement is configured to selectively couple a low-side reference voltage to the low-side segment and a high-side reference voltage to the high-side segment to maintain operation of the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch within their respective maximum tolerable voltages.
 23. The multi-branch cascode amplifier of claim 22, wherein the second switching arrangement is configured to selectively couple: the low-side reference voltage to a drain of an output transistor of the at least one branch when the low-side segment includes the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch, the high-side reference voltage to a source of an input transistor of the at least one branch when the high-side segment includes the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch, and the low-side reference voltage and the high-side reference voltage to a respective low-side terminal and high-side terminal of the first switching arrangement when each of the low-side and high-side segments includes at least one transistor of the plurality of transistors of the at least one branch. 24.-27. (canceled) 